Eren's newfound servants moved silently through the ruins of the fortress, their dark forms blending seamlessly with the shadows. They obeyed his commands without question, their every movement a testament to their otherworldly nature. Yet, Eren couldn't shake the feeling that their loyalty was fragile, held together only by the grimoire's influence.
"What exactly are they?" he asked the grimoire as he watched the figures work.
"Echoes of the past," it replied. "Warriors, scholars, and mages who once served this fortress. Their spirits lingered, bound to this place by the power that now resides in you. Use them wisely, Sovereign, for their strength is yours to command—but their trust must be earned."
Eren nodded, though doubt gnawed at him. The servants were powerful, but they were also a constant reminder of the grimoire's hold over him. He needed to find a way to balance his reliance on its power with his own autonomy.
As the night deepened, Eren gathered the servants around a crude map he had drawn on the floor of the hall. It marked the nearby ruins, the territories he had explored, and the few remaining pockets of human settlement he had heard about.
"We need to move," he said, addressing the shadows as though they could understand him. "This fortress is a good base, but it's too isolated. If we're going to survive—if we're going to rebuild—we need resources, allies, and information."
The shadows shifted, their forms rippling like smoke. One of them stepped forward, its shape solidifying into something resembling a soldier. It raised an arm and pointed to a spot on the map—a cluster of ruins near what Eren remembered as the old capital.
"The capital?" he murmured. "What's there?"
The shadow didn't respond, but the grimoire's voice filled the silence. "A vault of knowledge. The remnants of an age before the calamities. If you seek allies, Sovereign, you will find them there—or eliminate them if they oppose you."
Eren's jaw tightened. The thought of eliminating potential threats made his stomach churn, but he couldn't afford to be naive. The world was brutal, and survival often came at a cost.
"Fine," he said, rising to his feet. "We head for the capital at dawn. Prepare yourselves."
As the shadows dispersed, Eren sat alone by the fire, the weight of his decisions pressing heavily on him. He was no longer the scavenger who had stumbled upon the grimoire in the ruins. He was something more—and something far more dangerous.
Yet, as he stared into the flames, he couldn't help but wonder: how much of himself would be left when this was all over?